Recuperating-cycle for engines.



L. J. J.-B. LE ROND. RECUPERATING CYCLE FOR ENGlNES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.31. 1908- Patented May 15, 1917.

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Louis JnLEs JEAN-BAPTISTE LE noun, or rants, FRANCE.

RECUPERATING-CYCLE FOR ENGINES.

Application filed January 31, 1908.

To all "Hf/mm it may concern j Be it known that I, LOUIS JULEs JEAN- Bar'ris'rn Ln Roam, a citizen of the Republie of France, and resident of Paris, France, have invented anew and useful Recuperatjug-Cycle forfSteam and other Engines, which recuperating-cycle is fully set forth in the following specificatio This invention relates to fluid motors, and has for its object to provide for operating said motors a more efficient and economical method than has heretofore been employed. The invention relates equally to motors employing steam or hot gas, this usual fluid, either steam or gas, being termed principal fluid in the present specification. F or carrying out the invention in steam motors, air is employed as an auxiliary fluid, and the invention consists of the process'hereinafter described, comprising the steps of introducing into the cylinder of the motor a quantity of the motorfluid, viz. steam, and a quantity of an auxiliary fluid, as air, and then permitting the mixture to expandin said cylinder at the saturation temperature and pressure of the motor fluid contained in the mixture, said mixture existing in the cylinder under such conditions of pressure, temperature and quantity that the air recovers from thesteam and converts to useful work during the expansion, the latent heat of vaporization. For carrying out the invention in gas combustion motors, water must be injected into the hot gas. The Water is thus converted into steam and mixed with the gas. The water gives to the gas during expansion the latent heat of vaporization.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 IS a side-view, partly in section,

of a motor in which my invention may be carried out,

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section through the same on. line 2-2 Fi g. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the cycle ct operation and indicating the work done. Similar letters of reference indicate cor responding parts.

The combustion-chamber 8 is of the closed type, and from the same pass by tube 13 the gases of combustion from the downwardlydirected flame 30 to the motor cylinders X. These gases carry with them water vapor or steam, from the combustion chamber. This water vapor is by the expansion. in the motor cylinder condensed and passes by pipe 14: to

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 15, 1917. Serial No. 413,565.

a centrifugal separator 15. The spent gases of combustion pass. out from the separator to the atmosphere. The condensed Water from the separator passes by pipe 17 to reservolr l8, thence by tube 19 to an injection pump 4 actuated by any suitable mechanism (not shown) from the motor, whence it is forced by the pump through pipe 5 to the compressors Y. In the compressors it is injected at such times and in such manner as to take up the heat of compression of the compressed air, and the mixture of air and hot water passes through a separator 6 be" tween the compressors and the combustion chamber 8. The hot 'Waterpasses by pipe y to the vaporizing chamber, and in the same is conducted through suitable openings 100 at the top of the same onto b-aflie plates shown in Fig. l at each side of the chamber. over which it trickles to the lower part of the chamber. On the battle plates it is intimately mixed with and vaporized by the heat of the products of combustion of the flame, and passes then with said gases of combustion in the manner before described, out the bottom of the combustion chamber and thence to the motor cylinders, thus completing the cycle o'f'operation.

The compressed air enters the (:OlfibUStlOll chamber at Z by pipe 0?, and passes to the burner 11, where it serves to support the combustion of the flame. Liquid iuel is con .tained in the tank 10, and flows from the same to a pump 2, whence it is forced through pipe 44 tothe burner.

In the indicator diagram (Fig. 3) O V is the base line.

E M indicates the volume of air admitted t atmospheric pressure. M L is the isothermal compression curve. N L is the volume occupied by the air at the pressure of the steam and at the temperature of admission.

N F is the volume occupied by the same quantity of air after reheating to constant pressure and to the temperature of saturated steam at the same pressure. F A is the volume of saturated steam added to the volume N F of compressed air at the same pressure and at the same temperature, for creating the characteristic mixture of the recuperation cycle. F B represents the adiabatic curve according to which the v0lume of air N F is being expanded. F C indicates the new curve according to which the expansion of the volume N F takes place under the influence of the latent heat of vaporization which is given up by the volume F A of steam during the expansion from A to C A G is the curve of expansion accomplished by the and steam. The exhaust takes place at C. The effective energy of the motor is indicated by the surface inclosed within M L A G D M.

The recuperation cycle thus obtained has as its characteristicfeature the transfer within the working cylinder of the latent heat of vaporization of the water of the steam employed, to the air orgas also contained within the cylinder, the air or gas being in such quantity and at such term perature and pressure as to receive and utilize this latent heat. The highest economy is obtained when the quantity included of air or gas is exactly equal to this pur pose, that is to say, when it will exactly recover from the steam and utilize in its own expansion all the latent heat of vaporization contained in the water.

It is obvious that this cycle may be employed in other motors thanthe'one shown and described, of any types employing the same or other motor fluids and auxiliary fluids than those mentioned, it being only essential that under whatever conditions the operation is performed the auxiliary and principal fluids shall be in mixture with each other under such conditions of temperature and pressure and quantity as that the one shall recover from the other the latent heat of vaporization remaining therein.

Having thus claim as new and ters Patent:

1. A method of operating a thermal motor which is driven by the expansion of aeriform fluids, which consists in driving said motor by means of a mixture of said aeriform fluids, saidfluids being put into action to drive the motor at the same initial temperature, one of said fluids being condensable to the liquid state during the expansion thereof when its initial temperature is lowered, and the other of said fluids being non-condensable at the working temperatures and pressures of said motor, the

described my invention, I

desire to secure by Letinitial pressure of said mixture of fluids when they are put into operation to drive said motor being such that said condensable fluid is in a state of saturation at said initial temperature, the 7 fall in temperature of said condensable fluid being less 7 than that of said non-condensable fluid for the same amount of adiabatic expansion,

Copies of this patent may be obtained for mixture of airfive cents each, by addressing the whereby, when said mixture of fluids expands, the non-condensable fluid abstracts the heat of vaporization of said condensable fluid, and causes said condensable fluid to liquefy as said expansion continues, the proportions of said condensable fluid in said mixture being such that it is substantially completelycondensed at the cpmpletion of the expansion of said mixture of fluids.

2. A method of operating a thermal motor which is driven by the expansion of aeriform fluids, which consists in driving said motor by means of a mixture of said aeriform fluids, said fluids being put into action to drive the motor at the same initial temperature, one of said fluids being*condensable to the liquid state during the expansion thereof when its initial temperature is lowered, and the other of said fluids being non-condensable at the working temperatures and pressures of said motor, the initial pressure of said mixture of fluids when they are put said motor being such that said condensable fluid is in a state of saturation at'sa-id initi al temperature, the fall in temperature of said condensable fluid being less than that of said non-condensable fluid for the same amount of adiabatic expansion, whereby when said mixture of fluids expands, the non-condensable fluid abstracts the heat of vaporization of said condensable fluid, and causes said condensable fluid'to liquefy as said expansion continues;

3. A method of operating a steam engine, which consists in operating it by means of a mixture of air and steam having a given initial temperature and pressure, said temperature being that of the saturation of steam at said pressure, the proportion of steam. being such that said steam is substantially completely condensed at the completion of the expansion of said mixture, to drive said engine.

ii:- A method of operating a steam engine, which consists in operating it by means of a mixture of air and steam having a given initial temperature and pressure, said tem- Witnesses EMILE LEDRET,

H. A. Coxe.

Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G.

into operation to drive i 

